Boat-shaped bars from Asia
Boat-shaped bars from Asia.
Image provided courtesy of Goldkammer / © Studio Hamm
Chinese bars have been made in the shape of a boat as far back as the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220). During that period, though, they consisted solely of silver.
The Asian market rediscovered this type of bar in the 20th century, and from the 1940s onwards, boat-shaped gold bars denominated in bahts were manufactured in large quantities in Thailand.
However, the bars reached the height of their popularity in 1990s Hong Kong in the one-tael weight. Today, boat-shaped bars are rarely minted and have the character of a special issue coin. The Rothschild Bar Collection of bars in the Goldkammer in Frankfurt contains 23 boat-shaped bars from 11 producers in Thailand and Hong Kong.
total weight: 2,000 grams
text © Goldkammer
Detail
- Date
- 1990s
- Era
- Modern Period
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